Garden Chats
by Moofy-Fan
Summary: After returing from Xing, Al finds himself making trips to Central to visit a certain family. It was only to monitor though, nothing more. Selim wasn't making that easy though. Al always wondered what it was like being a big brother.
1. Garden Chat

Bonjour mes amies! I watched the**final episode of Full metal Alchemist Brotherhood today, and then read chapter 108, so this has spoilers for both**, as said in the summery. I loved the ending though, it was so sweet, not bittersweet like the first anime (which I still love, don't get me wrong) and just made me happy. We got a good closure on pretty much everybody, but it is the job of a fanfic writer to go above and beyond the canon ending and write more. So here it is.

If you like this, let me know, because I'm considering making an entire fan fic that would kind of bud off of this, so if you like it, review.

-Start-Of-Story-

Alphonse Elric knocked on the wooden door, shifting the briefcase in his hand. He had gotten back from the east around a month ago after nearly three years of traveling, and decided to pay a visit to a few of the people he hadn't before he left. Some of the people his brother had visited instead. Mei was back in the hotel. She'd come with him once he had decided to leave, although he wasn't about to complain. He quite enjoyed her company, and the best part was, she was here legally this time.

"Oh my Alphonse, is that you? What brings you here? I heard you had headed east," The older woman at the door asked. Al smiled at her and nodded.

"I had come back about a month ago. I just wanted to stop in, seeing as I was in town. My brother had been the one to talk to you before we both headed out, so I just wanted to see how you've both been since everything happened," Al explained. The old Mrs. Bradley smiled, and gestured for him to enter.

"Well, why don't I make us some tea. We can go out back if you like. I think that's where Selim is," Mrs. Bradley suggested, and Al nodded.

"That sounds great. Want some help with the tea?" Al offered, but the older woman shook her head.

"No, it's fine, you head out back," The young man nodded, and began to go in the direction he assumed led to the backyard.

It was certainly a beautiful yard. It was spring, so all the flowers were a bloom, and everything seemed full of life. Of course he had seen many stunning gardens when in the east, the plants in Xing alone were breath taking, but it didn't make him think any less of the gardens back home.

Al was so caught up in admiring a group of flowers (it was his first time here, after all) he nearly jumped a foot in the air when something brushed up agents his leg.

"Oh! A kitty!" The young man nearly squealed. He had always loved cats. He had decided he was defiantly going to get one once he owned his own home. Bending down, Al started to rub the cat's head. "Now what's your name?" Al asked the black cat playfully, scratching it behind his ear.

"Shadow," Al looked up suddenly, not having expected an answer. At first he didn't see anyone, but once his eyes caught sight of movement, it was easy to distinguish the little boy, hiding behind a bush nearly bursting with bright yellow flowers. Smiling, Al stood up and walked over to the boy, the cat fallowing the entire time, weaving in and out between his legs. The boy backed up a bit. Al's smile widened. The kid couldn't of been any more then five years old.

"Hello there, is this your kitty?" Al asked the child, who nodded, taking a step back. Al frowned slightly, he was usually good with kids. His eyes stopped on a small, reddish circle in the middle of the boy's forehead, and remembered, somewhat sadly, that this wasn't a normal kid. "There, there, I wont hurt you," Al said reassuringly. The child nodded slightly.

"Who're you?" He asked. Al's smile was back again. This kid was innocent now, there was no need to think about how he was in the past.

"My name's Alphonse, but you can call me Al. I take it you're Selim?" Al asked. Selim nodded. Al couldn't help but notice that Selim wouldn't break eye contact with him.

"Where's mommy?" The child asked.

"In the house, making some tea. Now, why don't you come out of that bush," Al said, taking several steps back so that the little boy had room to move out of the flower bed without running into the bushes.

"What's in your purse?" Selim asked. Al blinked a few times. He wasn't carrying a purse, what did he…?

"Oh! You mean my briefcase?" Al asked, patting the large black rectangle. Selim nodded, and Al sat down on the grass, opening the case in front of him. Selim quickly followed suit, and began ruffling through the papers inside once it was open.

"This is just a bit of my research. You see, I'm an alchemist," Al explained, taking a paper away from the child, only for him to grab another. "I just came back from the east, actually. I was studying there," Al told the child, who looked up from the paper in his little hands.

"You mean wike Xing?" Selim asked, and Al nodded.

"Exactly like Xing." Al said happily, and watched and the boy continued to rummage through his things. He probably couldn't read much of it, if any. Not only was it complicated, but much of it was actually in Xingese. Al had become quite fluent in the language during his trip. That didn't seem to stop the boy any, who just kept moving papers aside, stopping every so often to stare at some in particular. In the middle of his searching, though, the little kitty walked into the briefcase, and laid down.

"N-no! No kitty, you can't sleep there," Al tried to get the cat to move on it's own, but it's only response was to close it's eyes. Al looked up at the sound of Selim giggling.

"Shadow likes sleeping on paper," The young boy explained, and Al simply nodded. Well, it couldn't hurt, he would just move the cat when he was going to leave.

"Why are you here?" Selim asked after a few moments of silence. Al looked up from the cat to the boy. It was strange, seeing him so innocent. Who knows how hard it was for Al to try and keep the thoughts of his fight with the boy, only a few years back, away. Back then, he had been anything but innocent. True, he wasn't pure evil. Al had found that out when they had been locked together in the giant earth dome, but he was still, well, devious and sinister.

"I knew your mother years ago, and wanted to visit her," Al explained, trying to keep his smile up. Selim nodded, looking back at his cat.

"Did you know my dad?" Al's head shot towards the boy, unable to keep the shock off his face. Luckily Selim wasn't looking at him, instead he was petting the cat in the briefcase. It gave Al some time to recover. After all, it was simply an innocent question from an innocent child. The Selim Bradley he had fought, the one that tried to kill his brother, was long gone.

"Yes, I knew him," Al said after some time. He was suddenly very aware of Mrs. Bradley's absences. How long could making tea take?

"What was he like?" Selim asked, still not looking up from the cat. Al noticed that he looked a bit sad, like he'd asked this question before, and never got the answer he wanted. Al suddenly realized that that exact scenario probably had happened, and most likely more then once.

"W-well, he was, um… strong, and, uh… funny…" Al stopped when little Selim pulled his knees up to his chest. He was doing exactly what others probably had. Shaking his head, Al sighed. "He was a very devoted man, and fought for what he wanted until the very end. He wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but none of us are. He was lucky to have you" Selim looked up at him for the first time in a while, and Al can tell he had surprised him.

"Thanks…" The child said, before standing up very suddenly. "C'mon, shadow," the cat's head got up rather lazily, but it followed the little boy into the house none the less. As Selim walked in, his mother had to stand to the side so that he wouldn't run into her and spill the tea.

"Sorry it took so long, the oven has been in need of fixing for a while now," Mrs. Bradley apologized. Al smiled up at the woman, closing his briefcase and standing up off the grass. "Why don't we go sit at the table," Mrs. Bradley suggested, and Al followed, laughing a bit sheepishly.

The two talked about many things for the next hour. He told her about his experiences to the east, and she informed him about some of the news of his home country, as well as what she herself and her son had been up to. Al had to say the old woman was holding up quite well with everything she had been through. Shifting his gaze to the bush covered in yellow flowers, Al sighed.

"He asked about his father," He said hesitantly. Mrs. Bradley nodded.

"He has a lot recently. I think seeing other children with their parents bothers him a bit," The woman confessed.

"He doesn't really have a father figure, does he?" Al asked, then smiled, holding up this briefcase. "He asked what was in my purse," Mrs. Bradley giggled slightly.

"You are right though, he doesn't," She said. Al nodded, then looked up, jumping slightly when he saw the position of the sun.

"Oh shoot! Mei's gonna kill me if I don't get back soon! I'm sorry to run like this," Al apologized, standing up quite suddenly. Mrs. Bradley shook her head and smiled.

"No, no, it's quite fine, and feel free to stop by any time. After all, Selim could use a man in his life," Al smiled and nodded at the woman as he followed her through her house.

"I'll do that, after all, he can't go into work someday and end up calling his briefcase a purse, or tell another guy he likes their makeup or something," Al said, laughing a bit. Mrs. Bradley nodded and turned around once they got at the front door.

"Selim, come say goodbye to Mr. Alphonse!" The older woman called. The two soon heard footsteps, and then saw the child peak around the doorway on the other side of the room.

"G'bye, Mr. Alphonse," Selim said, his cat, Shadow, peeking out sleepily from behind his leg. Al froze for a second, caught up in his memories. The fight where the monster Pride had devoured his own kin, Gluttony. The fight where Mr. Heinkel nearly died. The fight where Kimble did die. Smiling, Al tried to push it all out of his head. It was all long gone.

"Goodbye, Selim. I hope to see you soon," Al said, surprised he was able to keep his voice from shaking. It was hard to believe that monster was really gone. Although Al had said it himself, without his homunculus powers, he was just a regular kid.

"Kay kay," Selim said, and ran from the doorway, his cat following more slowly. Saying farewell to Mrs. Bradley one last time, Al took one last glance at where young Selim had disappeared off to, before turning around and leaving the house. He didn't think it was the last time, though. No, he'd definitely be back. Well, that is if Mei didn't kill him for being late.

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And cut! There you go, first one shot in over two years. Hope you do like it. I just think Selim is the cutest, most evil thing ever. Well, please review.


	2. Magician

Hello. At first I was only going to make this a one shot, but now I think I'm going to make it a collection of one shots, all related to a story I'm 98% sure I'm going to write. As soon as I get the time. Because really, am I the only one who was inspired by the time where Al and Pride were locked together in that dome prison?

Magician

Al knocked on the door to the large house. He had been in central for about a month when Mrs. Bradley had called him up and asked for him to watch her son. That had certainly taken Al by surprise. Mrs. Bradley had said that he should come over some time, but that was nearly three months ago. Not that he minded though. No, he loved kids, and Selim seemed pretty well mannered for a five year old. Not that he had seen him much since the promise day had ended, maybe once or twice, and that had been over a five year span, but still…

"Oh Alphonse, thank you again," Mrs. Bradley said, opening the door and ushering him inside. Al smiled at the rushed looking woman.

"Not a problem. Is there anything I should know about watching him?" Al asked politely. It wasn't like he was worried or anything. He simply wanted to know if there was any heads up about him being allergic to peanut butter, or scared of clowns, or constricting people like a snake with his tentacle shadows if he had a temper tantrum. The usual stuff.

"No, he shouldn't be a problem. Oh, if you need something to do with him, he likes to be read to. Oh, and he should have lunch at around twelve thirty, no later then one. He eats with his cat in his lap, it's no use trying to get it off. Oh, and tell him I'll only be gone for a few hours, and that the men in blue did not kidnap me. Also, don't let him have too much candy, one or two pieces is fine, but once he snuck the whole tray, and he wouldn't stop-"

"Mrs. Bradley," Al jutted in, cutting her off in the middle of her rant.

"Yes, Alphonse?" She asked, not seeming to realize just how much she was talking. Al couldn't say this was out of the ordinary though, even when he had first met her, when still in the armor, she tended to ramble.

"You'll be late," he said, handing the woman her purse. Mrs. Bradley nodded and took the bag.

"Thanks again, the usual baby sitter canceled, and I didn't know who else to call, and then I saw your number in my phone book and remembered you were in central and-"

"Mrs. Bradley," Al sighed. She stopped in the middle of her sentence once again and looked at him. "You'll be late,"

"Oh yes, well thank you," the older woman said one last time before heading out the door. Shutting it behind her, Al sighed. Now all he had to do was entertain a little kid for a few hours, that couldn't be hard.

"Ah!" Al yelped, turning around to find said little kid standing right in front of him. He hadn't heard him coming at all. "O-oh, Selim." Al said, trying to sound cheerful. "Your mother just left, she'll be back in a few hours," He explained. He wasn't entirely sure if he should add in the thing about the men in blue coats, he assumed that meant the military, like she said, and decided to only mention it if Selim brought it up.

"Mr. Alphonse?" Selim asked. He seemed a bit less shy then at their last meeting, which the blonde teen guessed was a good thing.

"Yes?" Al answered. He just noticed the boy's ever present cat, weaving in between his master's legs.

"I'm hungry," the seemingly young boy said shyly, then proceeded to pick up the black house cat. "Shadow's hungry too," Al smiled and petted the top of the cat's head. This was going to be easy, he shouldn't of been so nervous. Not that he was nervous, no, not at all.

"Well then, we better go get some food," the blond boy said happily, and began walking into the kitchen. He glanced behind him once or twice, to make sure Selim was still following.

Once in the kitchen, Al opened the fridge, then turned towards the boy, standing patiently in the center of the room. "Well, what do you and Shadow want to eat?" Selim began to think, then walked across the rest of the room and pushed back Al just a bit in order to see into the fridge.

"Shadow wants chicken," he said finally. Al smiled and pulled the chicken out of the fridge. Walking over to the oven, he set it to the proper temperature, and began waiting for it to heat up. The waiting soon turned into an awkward silence, and Al began fidgeting nervously.

"So, Selim, what do you and Shadow like to do?" Al asked, hoping to break the awkward. Selim frowned a bit as he started thinking, still holding his ironically named cat the entire time.

"We like magic," He said finally. That piped Al's interest.

"Magic?" He asked, hoping the child would explain what he meant a little more. Was it like, rabbits out of a hat, or witches, or…?

"Magic. Like the kind those people in the blue coats do. When they go like dis," Dropping his cat to the floor, not that it seemed to mind. It landed on all fours, Selim put his hands together in a kind of clapping motion, before placing both hands down on the kitchen table. "Magic," He said again, appearing perfectly content with his description. Al smiled again, now this was something he could talk about.

"You mean alchemy?" Al asked, although he was already pretty sure he was right. Selim nodded a bit, apparently having heard the correct name some place before. "Oh well, I know a bit about alchemy," Al said, unable to hind his smirk as the little boy's face lit up like a light.

"Really? You're a magician?" Selim asked happily. Al laughed, he could barely remember the last time someone called him a magician because of his alchemy.

"I guess you could say that. Would you like to see some?" Al asked, and wasn't too surprised at the speed at which Selim nodded his head. "Hmm, let's see.." Al said, thinking about what to make. "I got it," He said, and began to move to clap his hands.

"Wait," Selim said, causing Al to stop before his hands touched.

"Yeah?" He asked, wondering what was wrong with the boy.

"Don't you gotta draw the magic circle first?" Al rubbed the little child's head like a cat, although he didn't seem to like that much, pulling himself from under the young man's hand.

"You sure do know a lot about alchemy, don't you?" Al said, trying to think up a way to explain his very complicated position to the young boy. "Well, you see, I'm a special type of alchemist. I can do alchemy without the magic circle," Al said, and Selim's eyes widened once again in amazement.

"Really?" He asked, then bent down to pick up his ever loyal cat that was rubbing up agents his leg affectionately.

"Really. Now, watch this," Al said, placed his hands together, and was about to touch the kitchen table when he stopped. Selim frowned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, obviously a little upset with Al not going through with the transmutation. Al simply rubbed the back of his head, and laughed nervously.

"I didn't have anything to transmute," Al said sheepishly. "Um, let's see, something to transmute…" He mumbled, searching around the small room.

"How's this?" Selim asked, holding up an old, beat up table cloth he had found in a cabinet. Al nodded and took the cloth from him. He looked it over a few times before finally placing it on the table.

"Alright, now for real this time, watch this," Al sighed, and placed his hands on the cloth. A blue light crackled around the mutating object, and it transformed with great speed. Soon the blue light was gone, and in place of the cloth was a stuffed toy. Picking it up, he handed it to Selim.

"Whoa, you really can do it without a magic circle," Selim said, inspecting the odd grey plushy in his hands. "But, what is it?" He asked, it wasn't any animal, and it wasn't a person. Well, it might have been a person.

"It's a suit of armor, like a knight. He can protect you," Al explained, not able to stop smiling at his own inside joke.

"I can keep it?" Selim asked, already holding it close to him. Al smiled and nodded, which caused Selim to grin even wider. "Thank you Mr. Magician Alphonse!" Al chucked, but then stopped suddenly, and began looking around.

"Hey, what's that smell?" The blond teen asked, frowning. Selim pointed towards the stove, which had a bit of smoke leaking out of it. "Ah!" Al ran over to the oven and quickly look out the chicken. It was almost completely black. "Heh, um, is it okay if Shadow just get's a ham and cheese sandwich?" Selim just nodded, giggling at Al.

A few hours later, Selim was asleep on the couch, and Al was reading a book. He still had the armor plushy in his arms, and his cat sleep precariously on top of the small boy. When he heard the door open, Al put the book down on the coffee table next to him and went to greet whoever had entered.

"Hello Alphonse, where's Selim?" Mrs. Bradley asked, placing her purse down and taking off her jacket.

"He's sleeping on the couch," Al said, jutting a thumb towards the couch. The older woman nodded and turned towards Al.

"Thanks again," She said, and the blonde teen shook his head.

"No problem, he wasn't any trouble," Alphonse said, and was a bit surprised he actually meant it. It wasn't like he'd been nervous though, he wasn't nervous at all. Mrs. Bradley nodded, and walked across the room to where the sleeping boy was. Leaning down next to him, she shook his shoulder softly, careful not to make the cat fall.

"Selim dear, come say goodbye to Mr. Alphonse," She said, and Selim sat up slowly, Shadow leaping down off him quickly. Al couldn't help but think of the irony of that cat, with that name, practically never leaving the boy's side. "Oh, what's this?" Mrs. Bradley asked, looking at the grey plushy being strangled in the boy's grip. Rubbing his eye with one fist, Selim yawned.

"Magic armor Mr. Alphonse made me," He said sleepily, before pushing himself off the couch. Mrs. Bradley smiled and looked up at Al, who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Did he now?" She asked. Selim just nodded and went over to Alphonse.

"Ba-bye, Mr. Magician Alphonse," Al chuckled a bit at the name, he'd called him that all day since he made the stuffed toy.

"Goodbye, Selim. Goodbye Mrs. Bradley, and if you ever need someone to watch him when I'm in central, it's no trouble," Al said walking towards the door. Did he really just offer that? Of course he did, Selim was a good kid now. Mrs. Bradley nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind, goodbye," The older woman said, and Al closed the door behind him.

Walking along the street to the apartment he was staying at, Al chuckled to himself. He had to stop thinking of the past, there was obviously nothing left of that evil child. He didn't remember anything. Al sighed softly under his breath, he remembered everything, though, and anyone could see that, if they just looked at the stuffed toy he had made for little Selim. What could he say though? The image of that evil homunculus playing around with the suit of armor's head, no matter how devious his intentions actually were, was kind of cute.

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Ta daa. Wow, ever pull an all nighter for no reason what so ever, and then end up falling asleep at noon? I'm going to be freaking nocturnal now. Well, please review.


	3. Story Teller

Hi there people! Didn't expect this, did you? It's been nearly a year since I updated this, but figured I really shouldn't abandon things, and inspiration happened to strike when I was writing the last chapter of In The Shadows, the fic this story ties into. Not to mention the fact that I've been on a writing binge since summer started.  
One thing though is that I'm not too sure if this still counts as a series of oneshots, since they are all kind of interconnected. I guess it's just a lighthearted prequel/stand alone fic.

Story Teller

Alphonse Elric slowly walked towards the impressive house he was to spend the next few hours at, once again watching over the five year old boy that lived there. He had offered to Mrs. Bradley to call him if she ever needed and he was in the neighborhood, and here he was a month later, still trying to decide how wise a decision that had been.

The few times he'd seen the young Selim had just continued to prove to him that the monster he had fought all those years ago really was gone, but old paranoia wouldn't completely leave him be. He simply shook his head and decided that it would be best to just ignore all of that though as he reached the front gate and was let inside by a large guard.

Reaching the front door, he knocked and it didn't take very long for Mrs. Bradley to open it and invite him inside. He didn't see Selim around anywhere, but his eyes did brush over one more guard. They had been here the last two times he'd visited, but he mostly ignored them. He knew why they were here, and wasn't about to bring it up if Selim happened to be nearby. It went without saying that he wasn't suppose to know.

"Thank you again for coming on such short notice. His regular babysitter had to go to the hospital to visit her mother, and you were still in Central so…" the older woman explained again, and Al just shook his head.

"No need to thank me, I'm the one who said to call, but…" the blonde trailed off a bit, glancing around the room to make sure that Selim wasn't actually in there. The last time he was here the child had managed to sneak up on him so quickly it nearly gave him a heart attack. "Why do you even need a sitter? With all the guards I've seen around, he should be safe," Al asked, and Mrs. Bradley frowned slightly.

"Well, the guards are very nice, but I'd rather Selim be with someone who would interact with him a little more freely. I just want him to have as normal a life as he possibly can," the older woman explained, and Al nodded.

"I understand, it makes a lot of sense that you would. Well, you best be getting off before you're late, I'll make sure Selim is well take care of," the blonde said, and Mrs. Bradley smiled and started towards the door.

"I suppose you're right, thank you again Alphonse," she said as she headed out the door, and Al just nodded, turning around to find the little boy he was now in charge of once the door was shut.

It didn't take long to find his room, since he'd been shown the last time he was here. There was a guard standing outside of it, so Al felt it was safe to assume that Selim was in there. There were only a few of them really, five or six at the most. Al hadn't counted.

"Hey there," the blonde said as he opened the door and walked inside. Selim was sitting on his bed, a small book on his lap, which rested lightly on top of his cat. Al couldn't help but smile when he noticed the stuffed armor sitting in a corner of his bed. "Your mom left, and so I'm back to watch you again, if that's okay," the young man said kindly, and Selim nodded just slightly.

Al closed the door and started walking towards the bed. There wasn't any actual guards in here, which put him a bit more at ease. The last time he'd watched him, he couldn't help but try and stay in the rooms they weren't in as well. It was just a little intimidating, he wasn't sure how Mrs. Bradley dealt with it. Of course, she might just be used to it from when she was married to the president, and Selim had never know anything different.

"What you reading there?" he asked as he looked down. From what Al could see, it was mostly pictures, with large print sentences underneath. Selim lifted up the book in order to show him the cover. The blonde smiled as he read it aloud.

"Adventures With Magic Mel? What's that about?" Alphonse asked in an amused voice as he sat down next to the boy. Shadow looked up at him for a moment before closing her eyes again and going back to sleep on Selim's lap.

"A magician who goes on lots of adventures… like you," the five year old said, and Al smiled at how his explanation was basically restating the title of the book, but couldn't help to raise an eyebrow slightly at the last part of his sentence.

"Like me? How so?" he questioned playfully. He already knew that Selim thought of him as a magician, but he was almost positive he hadn't told him anything about his travels or adventures over the years. Especially a few certain adventures that he knew he would never tell him.

"Mommy says you travel round the world a whole lot, and that's why you don't come over much," the black haired boy explained, and Al nodded. So that was it, it made sense. He couldn't help but smile and ruffle the boy's hair slightly, which thankfully caused him to giggle this time instead of pulling away like before. Looks like he was warming up to him, that was a good sign.

"You like it when I come here to watch you?" the blonde asked happily, and Selim nodded. "Well then, I guess I'm just gonna have to make sure I make time to come back in between my magic adventures," he said, and tried not to laugh at the way Selim's face lit up like a light. He certainly was a lot more outgoing then when he first met him, but then again, lots of kids were shy around strangers.

"Can you tell me about your adventures please?" he asked, and Al nodded. He wouldn't tell him everything, not by a long shot, but it wouldn't hurt to tell the boy about Xing, or something like that.

"Of course, although I can't say that it'll be as exciting as Magic Mel's adventures," he said, but Selim had already closed his book and put it aside in favor of listening to a story that had actually happened to someone real. Shadow still slept contently on his lap, and he grabbed the stuffed armor from the corner of his bed as well. Al quickly went into a cheerful and somewhat toned down tale about going to Xing and learning the special branch of alchemy that was there.

The black haired boy listened intently the entire time, and Al got the feeling that he was much more interested in his story then he ever was in his 'Adventures With Magic Mel' book, and that he would end up telling a lot more stories every time he came back.

A few hours later he had told nearly every story he could think of that was appropriate for the child, and they had only stopped for a small while for Al to make lunch. Selim was probably at the most excited that the blonde man had seen him by the time his mother had finally returned home.

"Hello there Mrs. Bradley, I think I have something that belongs to you," Al said cheerfully as the older woman walked through the door, and motioned towards Selim, who was sitting on the couch with his cat and stuffed toy, which Al had learned the boy took almost as many places as he did his cat, watching the kitten attack it playfully.

"I think you do. How was he?" The woman asked, and Al smiled at her reassuringly.

"He was just fine, it was a lot of fun," the blonde said. At that moment Selim pushed himself off the couch and headed over to his mother and substitute babysitter.

"Mommy! When I grow up can I travel around and have adventures with Mr. Alphonse, please?" the black haired boy asked excitedly, and his mother hesitated just slightly, glancing over at Alphonse after a moment when she was unsure of what to say. Al just smiled back sheepishly. They really didn't know just how much freedom the child would end up having once he grew up, but there was no point in trying to explain something they just couldn't, or shutting down a five year old's request. After all, he might very well be allowed to, if he still wanted to, or if Al was even still traveling by then.

"Of course you can dear, but right now Mr. Alphonse has to go back to his home, so it's time to say goodbye," the brunette woman said, and Selim nodded as he turned towards Al.

"Bye bye Mr. Al, promise you'll come back and tell me more stories?" Selim asked, and Al smiled and nodded.

"Or course I will. Well, I hope to see you both soon," the blonde said before leaving the pleasant, if not slightly uncomfortable house behind. So he'd only really been around the new Selim three times, but he was already starting to warm up to him. He knew he should be more cautious, but he sincerely wanted to believe that there wasn't any evil left in that boy.

Walking towards his hotel room, he quickly went through his schedule in his head. He had to head back to Resembool soon, and after that he wasn't sure. Of course, now he'd have to make sure to plan a side trip or two every once in a while to the little area on the outskirts of Central.

Really, it was just for monitoring reasons, to make sure everything was still under control and their wasn't any signs of Pride returning. That was all.

* * *

Yay, done. Wanna know what's weird? I wrote half of this chapter, took a little break and saw that two different people had reviewed and faved this story, the first time anyone had shown an interest in this story in a very, very long time. Weird how things work like that, huh? Right when I decided to bring it back to life.

Well, I hope you liked it, and please review.


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